Doors for pieces of furniture with collapsible tabletops



July 22, 1969 v P. J. M. o. SANCHEZ 3,456,601

DOORS FOR PIECES OF FURNITURE WITH COLLAPSIBLE TABLETOPS Filed Dec. 22, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 5' INVENTOR \9 Pascal L89; [v (ys'coz sfld c ATTORNEY July 22, 1969 P. J. M. o. SANCHEZ 3,456,601

DOORS FOR PIECES OF FURNITURE WITH COLLAPSIBLE TABLE'IOPS Filed Dec. 22, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .United States Patent 3,456,601 DOORS FOR PIECES OF FURNITURE WITH COLLAPSIBLE TABLETOPS Pascual Jos M. Oscoz Sanchez, Ibafiez de Bilbao 6, Bilbao 1, Spain Filed Dec. 22, 1967, Ser. No. 692,770 Int. Cl. A47b 3/06, 1/08 U.S. Cl. 10838 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The advantages of this new structure are clear, since without employing a space substantially greater than that of the size of a normal door it makes a tabletop available which can serve as a table in perfect conditions of stabilit C nsequently, a fundamental characteristic of the invention is based on the fact that the door is formed by a recess, articulated by a lateral piece by means of hinges to the body of the piece of furniture; the said recess is closed by a frontal cover, which acts as the front part of the door, and is articulated at the upper horizontal edge of the said recess.

Another characteristic of the invention refers to the fact that the recess houses in its interior a folding structure which remains perfectly concealed both when the door is in the closed position and in the open position. This structure easily unfolds on the cover of the door being lifted, constituting a tabletop of a table supported on the said structure in the unfolded position.

In order to enable the invention to be better understood, in the annexed drawings which complement the present exposition, there is shown a practical form for its industrial embodiment, which is included with a merely informative character, and consequently is not in any way limitative of the invention.

In the said drawings,

FIGURE 1 shows a door, constructed in accordance with the present invention, in the folded position.

FIGURES 2 and 3 show, respectively, the supporting framework of the folding structure, with the said structure in the semi-unfolded position and in the completely unfolded position.

FIGURE 4 shows a complex of the door with the tabletop collapsed.

FIGURE 5 shows a piece of furniture, equipped with the structure in accordance with the invention, in a closed position.

FIGURE 6 shows the same piece of furniture with the door open.

FIGURE 7 shows a section through a horizontal plane of a door constructed in accordance with the invention.

FIGURE 8 shows the same piece of furniture with the tabletop in the ready-for-use position.

FIGURE 9 shows the lateral view of the folding support structure of the tabletop in an unfolded position.

In accordance with the above-mentioned figures, the folding complex which forms the door is constituted essentially by a recess which includes a parallelepiped body 1 equipped with an upper projecting part 9 where the hinge 10, which articulates the cover 11 is situated, the said cover constituting the front of the door and the collapsible tabletop, according to the form of utilization.

The body 1, as is shown in FIGURE 7, is articulated by means of the hinges 13 to the body of the piece of furniture 14, in the said articulation being of such a form that it allows the door to rotate perfectly in order to effect the operation of opening the piece of furniture. As is shown in the said figure, the body is housed in the hollow space of the piece of furniture in the position when the door is closed.

The collapsible lid or tabletop is equipped with two lateral flanges which face one another and are situated butt to butt with the anterior edge of the hollow that the table topcloses. In the interior of the body 1 there is found, in a folded position, a structure constituted by two supporting frameworks in the form of a frame 4 and 6, articulated to one another by means of the hinges 5. The framework 4 is approximately half the width of the framework 6. The said framework 4 is articulated to a stile or vertical strip 2 situated at the bottom of the recess 1, which stile is positioned off center in order to permit the collapsing of the said framework 4 against the bottom. The dimensions of both frameworks are such that in a folded position both of them are perfectly housed in the recess, as is shown in FIGURE 7.

The external or larger framework 6 is equipped with a leg 7 at its end, which leg is intended to permit the supporting of the complex when the framework is unfolded, and is likewise equipped with an upper projecting portion 8 intended to serve as a support for the tabletop.

In order to facilitate the operations of folding and unfolding, as is shown in FIGURE 9, the articulation 3 of the framework 4 in the recess is inclined in a forward direction by having the wedge-shaped piece 16 interposed. The said inclination is such that, as is shown in the said figure, on the structure being folded, the leg ceases to be supported on the floor, while in the unfolded position it is perfectly supported thereon.

As is shown in FIGURES 5, 6 and 8, the lower part of the leg 7 projects slightly below the frame 6, for which purpose the body 1 has a groove 12 in the corresponding place, and the piece of furniture is likewise equipped with another similar groove 15.

In accordance with the said figures, the utilization as a door is effected in exactly the same manner as that of normal doors, since no impediment to this use exists. For its utilization as a tabletop, it suffices to raise the lid 11 in order to convert it into a tabletop on its being supported on the unfolded structure.

It is evident that it is possible to incorporate means of closing both for the lid and for the door. Likewise, any other kind of folding structure which has the possibility of being folded in a sufficiently reduced space can be used.

Having sufficiently described the nature of the invention together with an example of its practical embodiment, it only remains to add that in the complex and parts described it is possible to introduce changes of material form and arrangement of the elements provided that such alterations do not affect the essence of the invention.

I claim:

1. A table construction comprising a frame consisting of a panel having flanges at its opposite edges and disposed at right angles to the panel, a relatively narrow supporting member pivotally attached to the frame near the substantially vertical center line thereof, said supporting member being of less width than the distance in the frame between the flanges, a second supporting member of greater width than the first supporting member, said second supporting member being hinged to an outer edge of the first member, the second supporting member carrying a leg at its outer end, the two supporting members being capable of being nested within the frame between the flanges thereof and with the narrow supporting member being disposed behind the wider member; an article of furniture having a body provided with a hollow closure cover hinged at its upper end to the frame, the frame being connected by a vertical hinge to the furniture at an entrance to the body thereof whereby the frame may be pivoted into said entrance; the supporting members being pivotal into the frame and the closure cover then swung downward to close the entrance to the furniture and to cover the frame and the supporting members disposed therein.

2. A table construction according to claim 1, wherein the leg has a portion projecting below the frame and the frame has a notch in its lower portion to provide clearance for the leg when said leg lies within the frame.

3. A table construction according to claim 1, wherein the pivot which attaches the first supporting member to the frame is disposed at an angle to vertical.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Conklin 108-79 Blumenthal 108-134 X Whitcomb 108-79 X Medwin 108-79 X Schenzinger et a1. 108-33 X Sanchez 108-7 9 Sanchez 108-79 Sanchez 108-38 X BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner G. O. FINCH, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

